Index device



Jan. l2 1 926- 1,569,574

n J. H. RAND INDEX DEVICE Filed Dep. 26, 1923 FULTON Mii/af. GEORGE MB.

i KOGEES RE' l l l l 1 190651Z@ Ff? Cab Patented dan. l2, 192g.

UNITED STATES 1,569,574 PATENT oFFlcE.

JAMES H. RAND, 0F NORTH TONAWANDA, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR T0 RAND KAR-DEX COMPANY, INC., OF NORTH TONAWANDA, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF DELA- WARE.

INDEX DEVICE.

Application filed December 2G, 1923. Serial No. 682,641.

T0 all whom t may concer-n.' l

Be it known that I, JAMES H. RAND, a citizen of the United States of America, and resident of North Tonawanda, in the county of Niagara and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements -in Index Devices, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to overlapping card, visible indexes, consisting in the novel and improved means for holding cards or similar' index elements in overlappingspaced relation and in the other novel features all as hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings a preferred embodiment of the invention is illust'rated by way of example and in such drawings Fig. l is a fragmentary front elevation of an index constructed in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a section to larger scale on the line 2 2 of Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a front elevation of a single index element removed from the frame; and

Fig. 4 is a vertical section to large scale through the supporting rail or sheath of one of the index elements.

Referring to the drawings the numeral l indicates the back of a supporting frame of usual construction preferably made of sheet metal and having the side flanges 2 and 3. The back of the frame is sub stanlially fiat and the flanges 2 and 3 overlap its front face so as to provide opposed guide channels.

Tithin the frame a series of index elements are arranged in spaced overlapping relation. Each index element comprises a supporting rail 5 consisting of a sheath of resilient sheet material such for example as transparent celluloid. This sheath may be formed by bending a strip of Celluloid to provide the rear Wall 6, the bottom 11 and the front wall 7, the latter diverging upwardly and -forwardly from the plane of the rear wall. The upper edge of the rear wall 6 is bent forwardly and downwardly to provide the integral lip or shoulder 8 which by reason of the resiliency of the material tends to contact with or closely approach the inner surface of the front wall 7.

Each index element also comprises a card 9 whose lower marginal portion is disposed within the sheath 5 between the edge of the lip 8 and the inner surface of the wall 7. Preferably the edge of the marginal portion of the card is bent out of the plane of the body of the card at l0 in Fig. 2 so as to interlock with the forwardly projecting lip 8 of the sheath and prevent the accidental withdrawal of the card from the sheath.

The several index elements are arranged in the frame with the ends of their rails or sheaths 5 disposed within the channels behind the flanges 2 and 3 respectively. As thus disposed the bottom llk of each sheath or rail 5 rests upon the shoulder or lip 8 of the sheath or rail next below, the shoulders forming stops which prevent the railsk from slipping one past the other. The rear wall 6 of each sheath rests against the -fiat forward face of the back l ofthe frame while the forward wall 7 .of each sheath inclines upwardly and forwardly. As each card 9 is held firmly in engagement with the inner surface of the forward wall 7 of the corresponding sheath by the resiliency of the lip 8 the cards are constrained to lie in planes which are forwardly and upwardly inclined.

The upper marginal edges of the cards i project one beyond the other and may be provided with any suitable distinguishing characteristics or indicia .in accordance with the subject mattei' of the index. The entry or memorandum upon any card may be read by sliding it upwardly in the frame and when it is moved down to restore it to normal position it telescopes freely behind the other cards by reason of the forward inclination of the latter which prevents the moving card from catching.;` upon the upper edge of the card next below. The arrangement described also results in a slight separation of the upper edge portion of each card from the card immediately behind it so that a card may readily be grasped for manipulation.

Obviously, a removable card or slip of paper l2 may be inserted between the front wall 7 of the sheath and the card 9 of any or of all of the index elements and such removable card or paper slip may be of any desired size and have suitable dislil tinguishing characteristics or indicia or may be left partly or entirely blank for memoranda of other entries.

vWhile particularly useful in indexes of the type in which the cards are supported at their lower margins certain advantages of the present invention may be availed of even though embodied in indexes of other type.

I claim: Y

l. An index having a frame provided with a substantially fiat back, and means for supporting an index card in the frame comprising a sheath having upwardly divergring front and. rear walls united at their lower edges to forni a pocket for the reception of the lower marginal portions of the card, the rear wall of the sheath normally being disposed parallel to and in substantial contact with the front face oi" the back of the frame, the card in such pocket being adapted to assume a forwardly inclined position relatively to the bach of the frame, the sheath being provided with means for siioporting a superl'icsed similar sheath. 2. An index having a frame and cardsupporting means movable longitudinally of the frame comprising relatively movable elements constructed and arranged resiliently to grip the lower marginal portion of an index card and positively to hold the latter in a forwardly and upwardly inclined position. i

An index having a frame provided with a substantially flat front face and op positely directed marginal channels, and an index element arranged in the frame comprising a sheath, said sheath having upwardly divergent front and rear walls integrally united at their lower edges to form a pocket for the reception of the lower inarginal portion ofthe card, the rear wall of the sheath no `mally lying in contact with the front face f the frame and being provided with means for pressing the card against the forwardly inclined front wall of the sheath;

el. An index element comprising a sheath having divergent Vfront and rear walls, an index card interposed between the walls of the sheath, and a member integral with the rear wall of the sheath for holding the card snugly against the front wall of the sheath.

An index element comprising a sheath having front and rear walls united along their lower edges, the front wall diverging upwardly from the rear wall, and means for holding an index card against the inner forwardly and upwardly inclined surface of the front wall of the element.

G. An index frame having a substantially flat front face and inwardly directed mar-` and a lip projecting from the rear wall of the sheath toward the front wall thereof, the ends of the sheath engaging the channels of the frame. Y

An index element comprising a trans parent shea th of sheet Celluloid having front and rear walls united along one longitudinal edge and constructed and arranged to receive an index card between them, the free edge of the rear wall being bent forwardly to hold such card closely/against the inner surface of the front wall.

8. An index frame having a back and .inwardly directed marginal elements forming opposed channels, and an index element comprising a sheath of transparent Celluloid having diverging front and rear walls united alone one longitudinal edge and constructedand arranged to receive an index card between them, the i'rce edge of the rear wall being bent to form an inclined lip extending` forwardly and toward the. closed edge or the sheath and the edge of the lip engaging a card held in the sheath and resiliently pressing it against the front wall of the latter the ends of the sheath engaging the channels in the frame.

9. An index frame having o ppositely directed marginal channels, and a series of index elements arranged in overlapping relation in the frame each index element comprising a sheath having front and rear walls spaced to receive an index card between them, thc rear wall ot each sheath having a forwardly directed element constituting a stop for positioning Ithe next element of the series and the ends of the sheaths` projecting into the respective channels of the frame.

l0. An index having a .series of index elements and means for holding the elements :in overlapping relation, each element comprising a sheath of resilientsheet material having diverging front and rear walls united along one longitudinal edge, the front wall being wider than the rear wall and the free edge portion of the rear wall being bent forwardly toward the front wall and constructed and arranged to clamp an index card against the inner face of the front wall and to constitute a spacing stop for the next element of the series. i

Signed by me at Boston, llilassachusetts, this 18th day of December, i923.

e JAMES n. 1min).` 

